Tool-handle.



No. 769,504. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. H. S. SOUTHALL.

TOOL HANDLE.

PPPP IGATION FILED DEC. 28. 1903.

N 0 M 0 D E L.

No. 769,504. Patented September 6, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE SHERMAN SOUTHALL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TOOL-HANDL-E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,504, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed December 28, 1903. Serial No. 186,873. (No model.)

To all whom 7'2? 7II/ILZ/ concern/.- Be it known that I, HORACE SHERMAN SOUTHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new r 8, a globular portion'9, and what for convenand useful Improvements in Tool-Handles: l

ience I will designate a plug or filling port-ion 10 for the band or collar portion 5 of the ferrule, the several portions just mentioned corresponding to the similarly-designated portions of the ferrule. The core portion of the wooden part of the handle is divided longitudinally by a series of kerfs or slots 11, so as to render the core contractible and expansible transversely. The flaring portion 7 of the core is made somewhat larger at its base than the inside diameter of the flaring portion 2 of the ferrule, so that in drawing said flaring portions together the flaring portion of the ferrule will fit snugly and tightly to the flaring portion of the core, and at the base of the flaring portion of the core there is formed a shoulder 12, against which the end of the ferrule will lit when in position to hold the tool in place. The globular portion 9 of the core is of larger diameter than the inside diameter of the contracted portion 3 of the ferrule; but the kerfs or slots 11 in the core permit the latter to contract, so that the globular portion 9 of the wooden portion of the handle will pass through the contracted portion 3 of the ferrule and then expand, so as to fill or partially fill the globular portion L of the ferrule. This will permit a slight longitudinal movement of the ferrule on the core before the tang of the lile or other tool is tapped into the core; but the globular portion of the core will prevent complete separation or detachment accidentally of the ferrule from the core. hen the tang 13 of the tile 14 or other tool is tapped into the core. the kerfed or slotted portions of the core will expand, so that the plug or filling portion 10 will bind tightly against the wall of the band or collar portion 5 of the ferrule and the flaring portion 7 of the core will bind tightly against the flaring portion 2 of the ferrule, and thus the core and ferrule will be held tightly together and the tang of the tool will be held firmly and tightly to the handle. 'hen it is desired to remove the tool from the handle, the ferrule may be grasped by the left hand and the hand-grip gripped by the other hand and the two parts drawn in op posite directions, which will cause the ferrule and wooden portion of the handle to slip and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to tool-handles; and it has forits object to provide a handle in which the tool will be securely gripped by the hanl dle and the life of the handle greatly prolonged and liability of splitting the wooden portion of the handle avoided and in which also the wooden portion of the handle maybe replaced by a new portion when worn out I and in which also the metal ferrule portion will be prevented from becoming accidentally separated from the wooden portion of the handle.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and l such otherobjects as may hereinafter appear l the invention consists in the features and in the combination of parts hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be clearly defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of the metal ferrule portion of the handle; Fig. 2, a perspective of the wooden portion of the handle; Fig. 3, a vertical section through the two parts when assembled previous to the tool being applied, and Fig. 4: a similar view with the tool applied and the parts in their position when gripping the tool. r

In the drawings the numeral 1 designate? the ferrule, which is formed with a flaring portion 2 at one end, a contracted portion 3 next thereto, a globular portion a, and a band or collar 5, preferably annular in form, at the l The wooden porof a hand-grip 6 said core comprisother end of the ferrule. tion of the handle consists and a core for the ferrule,

ing a flaring portion 7, a contracted portion globular portion of the lengthwise of each other, which will release to some extent the gripping action on the tang of the tool, so that the tool may be more readily detached from the handle. While I have illustrated the dimensions of the globular portion of the Wood part of the handle somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the globular portion of the ferrule, yet it is obvious that the dimensions of said parts may be somewhat varied, sothat the globular portion of the wood part of the handle will contact with the ferrule, thus causing theglobular portion of the core to bear against the globular portion of the ferrule when the slotted or kerfed portions of the core are expanded by tapping the tang of the tool into the core and this feature of my invention be retained. As the wooden core of the handle wears with use, the slack thus caused can be taken up by tapping the tang of the tool far- .ther into the core. and thus the parts made to firmly grip each other. There is, however, ordinarily a tendency to split the wooden handle when the tang of the tool is tapped to a point near or beyond the lower end of the ferrule in handles formed of a metal ferrule portion and a Wooden portion. For the purpose of avoiding this splitting of the handle 1 form a bore 15 in the hand-grip portion of the handle, said bore extending to within onefourth of an inch, more or less, of the lower termini of the slots or kerfs 11 in the core, thus leaving a portion, which for convenienceI will designate a bridge or "web16,between the termini of the kerfs or slots and the inner end of the bore 15. This prevents the handle from being materially weakened, and at the same time it provides for the end of the tang being driven through the bridge or web 16 without splitting the hand-grip portion of the wooden handle below the ferrule, and thus the life of the handle is materially increased.

It will be observed that when the tang of the tool is inserted in the core of the handle the angular corners of the tang will enter the slots or kerfs formed in the core and that these kerfs will thus serve to guide and hold the tang straight with reference to the handle,

and it will be further observed that the kerfs or slots extending longitudinally through the l core cause the core to be formed of a number of elastic tangs which will contract on withdrawing the ferrule from the core and which will expand when the tang of the tool is tapped into the handle.

I have illustrated and described with parl ticularity the preferred details of construction of the several parts; but it is obvious that changes can be made therein and essential features of my invention be retained.

, Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is 1. A tool-handle comprising a ferrule flaring at one end and provided at the other end with a band or collar and having a globular portion next to the collar and contracted portion next to the flaring end, and a hand-grip provided with a core slotted longitudinally and formed with a flaring portion, a contracted portion, a globular portion and a plug or filling portion corresponding to the specified parts of the ferrule, substantially as described.

2. A tool-handle comprising a ferrule having a contracted and a globular portion, and a hand-grip provided with a core having a globular portion larger than the contracted portion of the ferrule and transverse longitudinally-extending slots to render the core elastic, substantially as described.

3. A tool-handle comprising a ferrule and a hand-grip provided with a core fitting in the ferrule, the hand-grip having a bore 15 extending longitudinally from the rear of the grip toward the core to prevent splitting of the handle when the tang of a tool is tapped into the core, substantially as described.

L. A tool-handle comprising a ferrule having a contracted and aglobular portion and a hand-grip provided with a core having a normal globular portion fitting in the globular portion ofthe ferrule, said core being contractible for insertion and withdrawal through the contracted portion of the ferrule, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE SHERMAN SOUTHALL. Witnesses: l A. BRUCE HUGO, ARTHUR C. BRIGGS. 

